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PATENTED FEB. 16, 1904.

W. CARTER. RELEASINIG TRACE HOOK.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 26, 1903.

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UNITED} STATES Fateiitd February 16, 19641 PATENT OEEIcE.

RELEASING TRACE-HOOK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 752,029, dated February 16, 1904.

Application filed May 26,1903. Serial No; 158,813. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM CARTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Foster, Indian Territory, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Releasing Trace- Hooks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to makeand use the same.

This invention relates to means for attaching tugs or traces to swingletrees; and it has for its object to provide a hook mechanism for engagement with the tug or trace and so constructed and equipped that it may be easily and quickly operated to disengage the trace to release the draft-animal.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification, and in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a top plan-view showing a portion of the running-gear of the vehicle having swingletrees equipped with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan View of one of the hooks, showing the end of a trace with which the hook is engaged, Fig. 3 is a horizontal section, partly in elevation, with the hook in disengaged position.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a doubletree 5, to the ends of which are connected the swingletrees 6 by means of links 7, the swingletrees having links or'forwardly-directed end pieces 8, to which are connected the trace-attaching means or devices. Each of the trace-attaching devices consists of a body portion 9, which at the rear end is riveted to the piece 8 at the correspond ing end of its swingletree, and in the upper face'of the body portion is a longitudinal groove 10, in which is pivoted the rear downwardly-directed end 11 of the stem of a hook 12, the bill of which is adapted to engage the slot 13, formed vertically through the opposite or forward end of the body. In the forward end of the body is formed also the transverse slot 14:, which intersects the slot 13 and is of greater depth than the slot 13, so that when the hook is engaged inthe slot 13, as shown in Fig. 2, there is a passage transversely through the body 9 in the rear of the billof the hook.

There is an opening 15 in the bottom of the recess 10, passing through the body 9, and in this opening engages the lug 16 at the rear end of the stem of the hook, said lug being rounded and adapted to impinge'against the leaf-spring 17, which is secured to the under side of the body transversely of the said opening. The action of this leaf-spring is to hold the hook normally and yieldably in the slot 13.

In connecting the traces to the swingletree the hooks are drawn from the slots 13, and the ends of the swingletree are passed into the slots 1 so that the hooks may be returned to the slots 13 and engaged through the eyes of the traces.

At the ends of the doubletree are pulleys 18, and at the central portion of the doubletree are pulleys l9, and cords are passed through the pulleys 19 and the pulleys 18 and have their ends bifurcated and connected to the eyes 20, which project laterally from the stems of the hooks, so that when the cords are drawn the hooks will be drawn from the slots 13 and from engagement with the eyes of the traces.

Mounted on the reach-bar 22 of the runninggear is a rock-shaft 23, and the cords are attached to this shaft, so that when the latter is rocked in one direction the cords will be operated to disengage the hooks and release the traces. When the shaft is rocked in the opposite direction, the cords will be slackened and the hooks permitted to return to their engaging positions in the slots 13 by action of the leaf-springs above referred to. A bar 24 is connected to the crank 25 of the lever for rocking it.

v Vi hat is claimed is v 1; A releasing trace-hook comprising a body portion having a pair of slots in one end at.

right angles to each other, one of said slots being of lesser depth than the other, said body portion alsohaving a perforation through its remaining end, an angular member pivoted at one end in the perforation and having a nose projecting through said perforation, a springplate secured to the body portion at one end and being adapted at the other for connection to a whiflietree, said plate bearing against the nose of the angular member, said angular member lying normally with its free end in the lesser slot and being movable upon its pivot to Withdraw the end from the slotandagainst the action of the spring-plate.

2. A rel easing trace-hook comprising a body portion having a pair of slots in one end at right angles to each other, one of said slots being of greater depth than the other and having a recess in one face and an opening leading from the recess through the body, a second member pivoted at one end in the recess and having a lug passed throughsaid opening and a bill at its free end disposed to engage the slot of lesser depth, and a spring-plate attached at one end to the body over the opening and against the lug of the second member and adapted for attachment at its remaining end to a whifiletree.

3. The combination with a doubletree and swingletrees connected thereto, of a trace-attaching device connected to each end of each swingletree, each of said trace-attaching devices comprising-a body portion having transverse slots in its forward end at right angles to eachother and a recess in its upper face, and a second member pivoted at one end in said recess and having a bill at its opposite end disposed to engage one of said slots, means for holding said members normally and yieldably with their billsengaged in the slots, pulleys upon the doubletree, cords passed through said'pulleys and connected to said pivoted members for raising them with their bills from the slots, and a lever with which the cords are connected for operating them.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature'in presence-of two witnesses.

WILLIAM CARTER.

Witnesses:

W. P. BOLIN, GEO. HIGIL. 

